§864 — Title 30 Mineral Lands and Mining | U.S. Code

Summary

Mine operators must keep coal dust, float coal dust, loose coal, and other combustible material cleaned up. They must not let these materials build up in active work areas or on electrical equipment. If mining makes too much dust, operators must use water (with or without a wetting agent) or other equally effective methods approved by the Secretary or an authorized representative to control it. Within 40 feet of the face, water or approved methods must be applied to dust on the ribs, roof, and floor. Most underground areas must be rock-dusted to within 40 feet of working faces and on crosscuts under 40 feet. Rock dust must cover top, floor, and sides so the combined incombustible content is at least 65 percent (80 percent in return aircourses). If methane is in the air, raise those percentages by 1.0 and 0.4 percent for each 0.1 percent methane, respectively. The wetting and rock-dusting rules do not apply to underground anthracite mines.

Title 30, §864

Mineral Lands and Mining — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Coal dust, including float coal dust deposited on rock-dusted surfaces, loose coal, and other combustible materials, shall be cleaned up and not be permitted to accumulate in active workings, or on electric equipment therein.

(b)Where underground mining operations in active workings create or raise excessive amounts of dust, water or water with a wetting agent added to it, or other no less effective methods approved by the Secretary or his authorized representative, shall be used to abate such dust. In working places, particularly in distances less than forty feet from the face, water, with or without a wetting agent, or other no less effective methods approved by the Secretary or his authorized representative, shall be applied to coal dust on the ribs, roof, and floor to reduce dispersibility and to minimize the explosion hazard.

(c)All underground areas of a coal mine, except those areas in which the dust is too wet or too high in incombustible content to propagate an explosion, shall be rock dusted to within forty feet of all working faces, unless such areas are inaccessible or unsafe to enter or unless the Secretary or his authorized representative permits an exception upon his finding that such exception will not pose a hazard to the miners. All crosscuts that are less than forty feet from a working face shall also be rock dusted.

(d)Where rock dust is required to be applied, it shall be distributed upon the top, floor, and sides of all underground areas of a coal mine and maintained in such quantities that the incombustible content of the combined coal dust, rock dust, and other dust shall be not less than 65 per centum, but the incombustible content in the return aircourses shall be no less than 80 per centum. Where methane is present in any ventilating current, the per centum of incombustible content of such combined dusts shall be increased 1.0 and 0.4 per centum for each 0.1 per centum of methane where 65 and 80 per centum, respectively, of incombustibles are required.

(e)Subsections (b) through (d) of this section shall not apply to underground anthracite mines.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section operative 90 days after Dec. 30, 1969, except to the extent an earlier date is specifically provided for in Pub. L. 91–173, see section 509 of Pub. L. 91–173, set out as a note under section 801 of this title.

§864 Combustible materials and rock dusting

Summary

Title 30, §864

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Citations & Metadata